Jury Awards $35 Million In WaveRunner Collision

A jury has found Yamaha responsible for a 2005 WaveRunner accident that killed Jaysell Perez, a 14-year-old girl. The jury awarded about $35 million to her parents and to Jaysell’s best friend, Samantha Archer, who was injured in the crash. The jurors awarded $19 million for Mr. and Mrs. Perez and $16 million for Ms. Archer. Yamaha Motor Corp. USA failed to correct steering problems with the water scooter and then failed to warn people of the hazards created by the failure.

David Kleinberg, a lawyer with Neufeld, Kleinberg & Pinkiert, who have several offices in Florida, represented Ms. Archer. Eric Ansel, a lawyer with Ansel and Miller, located in Homewood, Fla., represented Mr. and Mrs. Perez. These lawyers did a very good job for their clients.